Royal Physical Society. 27 



tures made to us, I hope I may venture to say that they will 

 be received and considered in a kindly and liberal spirit. 



When I last addressed you from this chair, I took occasion 

 to point out the very defective state of our public collections 

 for purposes of study, noticing, in course, the Museum of the 

 University, of the Highland Society, and other corporations. 

 Many members of this Society cordially entered into the views 

 then enunciated, and a resolution was formed to make a vigo- 

 rous eifort to have a public collection established worthy of the 

 present state of science and the Scottish metropolis. The re- 

 marks which I then made, and which were published in a se- 

 parate form, along with a leading article from the pen of the 

 Editor of the Witness, produced a powerful effect on several in- 

 dividuals, and especially the members of the Highland Society, 

 who awoke from their slumbers, and were made to feel ashamed 

 of the indifference to the interests of the public which had been 

 displayed. In the first instance, I enjoyed, of course, my full 

 share of abuse for presuming to hint at imperfections existing. 

 By degrees, however, the sense of the community detected the 

 folly of the " let alone" opponents of the measure, — " let well 

 alone" being a phrase which no one dared to employ. For- 

 tunately, at this stage of the process, an agitation took place 

 regarding the Trigonometrical Survey ; and " Justice to Scot- 

 land" sounded somewhat loudly. 



The gratifying intelligence at last reached us that the 

 Board of Trade had resolved to institute an Industrial Museum 

 for Scotland in Edinburgh. Judging from my limited source 

 of knowledge, I may state, that no one laboured more earnestly 

 in the accomplishment of the object than Mr Maxwell, the pre- 

 sent judicious and energetic Secretary of the Highland So- 

 ciety. In the progress of arrangements, it was recommended 

 to the Board and adopted, that the curator should be a chemist. 

 The propriety of this step did not seem to many to be very 

 apparent, especially as the products with which the naturalist 

 is conversant, and the applications of mechanical philosophy, 

 appear as intimately connected with our industrial progress as 

 the science which has been thus favoured. Accordingly, Br 

 George Wilson was appointed ; and no one acquainted with 

 his talents and zeal begrudged him the honours or the emolu- 



